Module 1

Structure and Properties of Hydrocarbons 


Introduction


You learned in the Unit A Introduction that one broad category of organic compounds is made up entirely of molecules that contain only carbon and hydrogen atoms. We refer to these molecules as hydrocarbons. Some common examples of hydrocarbons include the following:




Fig. 1  natural gas


Fig. 2  mothballs


Fig. 3  gasoline


Hydrocarbons are classified as either aliphatic or aromatic. In Module 1, you will investigate the structures and properties of these two main classes of hydrocarbons. You will also learn about the extraction, refining, modification, and manipulation of naturally occurring hydrocarbon molecules.



Module 1 contains three lessons: 



Lesson 1
Aliphatic Hydrocarbons
Lesson 2
Aromatic Hydrocarbons
Lesson 3
Hydrocarbons and Alberta's Oil and Gas Industry